Improvement in striking-clocks



V. HIMHBB. Striking-Clock.

No. 209,616. Patented Nov. b.1878.

F NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN STRlKlNQ-OLOOKB.

s a-lama...- f rmlug part of Letters lsteut N I0 9,6]0, listed Revs-minIt, ll"; application Med March ,11

To all trlmm it may rm lie it known tint term:

i, \'lT)\i.iH linuunn, of New York city, county of New York, and Stateof New York, have invented an Improved Striking-Clock, of which thefollowing is a specification:

Figure l is a face view of my improved striking-clock. Fig. 2 is a faceview of a portion of the same, showing parts in different positions fromwhat they are in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same onthe line a: .r, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top view, partly in section, of thesame.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

lhc objectof this invention is to produce a striking-clock which willalways strike the correct hours or parts of hours, even when the handsare setback.

The invention is more particularly intended as an attachment to theordinary American clock-movements, and is of such simplicity andcheapness that. it may be readily applied to ordinary American clockswithout materially increasing their expcnse,and withontmaking theclock-movements too complicated for ordinary clock makers or repairersto handle.

American st rikin g-cloeks, when made to permit the turning back of thehands without ininrions interference with the striking mechanism, willalways derange the relation between the striking part and the hands. Forexample, it a cioek'rnns too fast and the hands are turned back so thatthe minute-hand will, in being turned back, pass beyond the tigure 12 ofthe dial, the snbse nent striking action of the clock will invariab y bewrong. If a clock which struck 12 is, at quarter past 12, set back to aquarter before 12, it will afterward, when pointing to 12, strike 1.

My improved clock is so constructed that even when the'hands are setback over the entire dial the clock may always strike exactly inaccordance with the position ofthe hands.

My invention consists of the peculiar arrangement or combination of theparts hereinafter more fully speciiied.

in the accompanying drawing, the letter A represents the frame of anordinary American striking-clock. B is the spindle which carries theminute-hand C, and upon which the hour- -of the case or d E is thetoothed wheel in the clock-movement for lm "Willi motion to thehour-hand. This toothet whee is shown to be in gear with another toothedwheel, F, of the same size and number of teeth, so that the two wheels iand F will revolve with equal velocity, and so that their motions willcorrespond with those of the hour-hand. Upon the arbor of the wheel F isalso mounted an ordinarv snail-like plate, G, of the kind used instriking devices of various clocks, for regulating the number of strokesof the striking mechanism. By a spring, II, the tin b on an arm, a, ofalever, I, is soughtto brought in contact with the edge of the snail Gsaid arm a being a spring plate or bar eapa le of lateral spring motion,and provided at or near its end with the pin 6, which is to be broughtinto proper contact with the edge of the snailplate 0, in manner shownin Fig. 2. The upper part of the lever I is formed it to a toothedsegment, J, which segment has twelve teeth for a clock of usualconstruction. In addition thereto, said segment may have one or threenotches at one end, of less dc ith than the re maining notches, wheneverit s desired to let the clock strike half-hours or quarter-hours. Intothe toothed edge of the segment J mesh the teeth of a pinion, d, that ismounted upon the arbor c of the clock-movement, to which arbor rotarymotion in the direction of the arrow 1 in Fl .2 is imparted by themainspriug of the stri ing mechanism, whenever such strikin mechanism isreleased for action. The ar r a is found in all Americanstrikingmovements, and also the pinion d thereon. The lever I, carryingthe toothed segment J, is placed, as shown in the drawing, against theinner side of the frame A, so as not to project outside thereof, and thewheel F, likewise with its snail, is placed into the inner part of the frame,so that the parts which I have added to the striking mechanism arenot in the way ial, or otherwise calculated to interfere with theconvenient handling of the hand I) is also placed.

movement. In fact, the lever I is substanti aliy in line with the wheelE, as indicated in i is a levcr,which is at f pivoted to the frame A,and which carries arpin, 9, that drops behind the edge or end 0 thetoothed segment .1 whenever the striking mechanism ts at rest asindicated in Fig. i, or otherwise locks said segment. 'ihis lever l. isheld down by a arojecting wire, it, that is formed on the osci latlugarbor i of the movement, said wire being the substitute for tlmt which,in the ordinary American striking-elm-ks. extends from the arbor i tothe edge of the dividing or counting wheel.

in my mechanism the toothed segment J takes the place at the usualdividlngor counting wheel oi the American striking-clocks.

Another wire ann.j,pm ieeting from another oscillating arlmr,bearsagainst the under side oi the lever II and serves at the proper time toraise said lover I, and release the lever! from tho ellectot the teethor dug. The wire j is the same which, in the ord nary Americanstriking-clocks, is used to lift the wire I: out of tho vomiting-wheel.Now, whenever the hour-hand arrives in line with the tlgure 12 ot thedial, (or, it the clock is to strike over? quarter or halt honr, arrivesin position wit i that part ot the dial at. which t it! striking is totake place,) the. wirej is moved in the usual manner at Americanstriking-elocks-thatis to say, upward-and thereby lifts the lever I1 anddisengages the teeth 9 from the segment .l. The spring ll thereupondraws the lover I, so as to carry its arm a aml the pin 1) thereon intocontact with the edge of the snail (i. The wirej having dropped awayfrom the lever L said lever l. is pressed back into its norma positionby the wire it, but does not lock the ever J before the same has beenmoved back from the position shown in Fig. 2, into which it was moved bythe spring it, into the position shown in Fig. 1, which is its normalposition. Into this normal position the lover I is moved by the actionof the rotary pinion d, which, revolving, moves the toothed segment inthe direction of the arrow2 (shown in Fig. 2) until, finally, the normalposition has been attained. The lever I: then drops its tooth g intoplace for locking the lever 1 in its proper place.

As already stated, the position oi the wheel F harmonizes with that ofthe hour-haml,and so does consequently also the position of the snail(i, and therefore, whenever the clock is caused to strike, the lover Iis moved more or less to the left, according as the snail has beenturned to permit a greater or less degree of motion to said lover. Thestriking is produced by the return motion of the lever I to its normalposition, and this return motion is shorter it" the snail is so placedas to reduce the preceding motion of the lover I, and longer it thesnail allows a larger motion of the said lever 1. Thus at 12 o'clock theshortest part of the snail will be in line with the advancing pm I), andthe lever will therefore have an opportunity of tnkinga full swing onitspivot,

and eousequentl ,when afterward it returns to its normal pea tien, allof its twelve manttng-teeth will an exposed to the action of theoperatingpinion, and the clock will strike 12, whereas at 1 o'clock thesnail will upioso its longest portion to the lever and milueo the motionof the said lever to the left, consequently also reducing its returnmotion to the annual position.

The strikiag'clapper itself is operated by pins p on the rotary arbor e,there being as man pins p on that arbor as there are teeth on the piniond that operates the segment.

The lever I! is provided with an upwardlyprojecting arm or which, whensah lever is raised by the wire ,or, for repeating purposes by a handle,it, (shown in t to drawing,) will come into the way of the vane .\I,used on all striking mechanisms ct American clocks, aml arrest themotion of said vane, to prevent. the striking mechanism fromopcratingnntil alter the lever II has tlrst been moved down again underthe iutlnencc ot' the wire It. The obieet of this stop in is to preventthe clock an striking until the handle a is let go as otherwise theclock would strike during all the thno that said handle was beingpulled, and would cease ncntly never indicate the correct number 0?strokes. Thus, for example, it it was about 11 o'clock and the rod n waspulled to let the clock repeat, the striking will take place as soon asthe rod is let go and consequently the number of strokes will be eleven.lt, howevcr, the lever L were not provided with the projecting arm at,the striking would commence from the moment that the lover I, was beingswung away from the segment, aml would continue before the lever L islet go. and after that until the segment reached its normal position.Consequently the number of strokes would be more than eleven, nml wouldnot correctly indicate the position oi the hourhand.

I desire it to be understood that instead of mounting the snail G upon aseparate wheel, F, it may, in some cases be mounted directly upon thewheel E; but i prefer the arrangement which I have indicated.

I claim- 1. The locking-lever L, combined with the lifting-wire j, andwith tho depressing-wire h and segment J of a striking-clock movement.substantially as oral for the purpose speciiled.

2. The locking-lever L, having the pin g, for stopping the motion of thetoothed segment J, and provided with the projecting wire or arm m, foroperating in combination with tho vane M, substantially as herein shownanti described.

ViTALlS lllhlhiiilt.

Witnesses:

T. It. Mosrmn, J. U. Tonnuioos.

